A Certain Kind of Strength
by mollie666
Summary: "Go ahead," her eyes are challenging and defiant, "Tell me how fucking weak I am, Katsuki" - It starts with an assignment – a field trip, which turns into an unexpected rescue, that leads to a new student attending UA and a villain willing to do just about anything to steal back his runaway prize. (Bakugo X OC)
1. Chapter 1: The Starling Quirk Circus

**{ This has been modified since it's original publication. Characters' names have changed and the plot has changed as well. I think of it as like a movie arch - a little out of the manga plot since I'm not completely caught up. Hope you enjoy the changes! }**

"Gather over there with All Might, don't go in just yet." Mr. Aizawa was saying as class 1-A file off the bus. Even as teenagers, they couldn't help but feel a spark of excitement. The looming iron gates allowed the hint of caramel and a distant tune waft in the evening September breeze to rouse their senses. _The Starling Quirk Circus_ is written in looping cursive letters along a white banner on the gates. The Circus has gained fame around the world over the past few years. The famous maze of tents, varying in size, shape, and color, appeared overnight only a short drive from UA's campus.

The teachers at UA thought it would be an interesting spectacle for their students to see. Those with Quirks using them for entertainment, not Hero work. Mr. Aizawa encouraged his class to bring notebooks, for they must turn in a three-page essay on their observations. Rumor has it they're the only class that has an assignment.

"Alright, here are some rules," Mr. Aizawa said, joining the chattering class standing with All Might by the grand iron gates. "Stay in small groups, don't go off by yourself, and do not do anything stupid. Take notes, it'll be helpful when you write your paper."

"Don't forget to have fun," says All Might, smiling.

Midoriya has his notebook at the ready. He hands his ticket to the child sitting behind the ticket booth. He walks through the threshold of the swirling metal designs on the enormous gates and it's as if he stepped through a veil that masked everything enclosed in the surrounding fence. The colors are brighter than anything Midoriya's ever seen. The mouth-watering smell of all different kinds of foods drifts in the golden air. The music is louder and makes the air around him vibrate. Everything about it was exciting. Midoriya jotted a note, taking another look at the barred fence and wondering what kind of quirk is being used to keep everything from spilling into the Tokyo streets.

"Holy crap," Kirishima says, spinning in circles, taking everything in, "I did _not_ expect this."

The Circus seems immensely larger on the inside than from the outside. One large tent of crimson and gold stripes sits at the very center. Smooth dirt paths lead between and around the other tents. All the tents are striped, but each of different colors. There's regular circus stuff there, too, of course. A man on stilts with batons aflame walking through awe-struck crowds. A man with clown paint making balloon animals, hats, and swords for children. The kids prancing around have painted faces, sticky fingers from the sweets, and bells tied to their ankles.

"This place," Midoriya begins, nearly breathless, "is really amazing."

"Why thank you, my sweet boy," a sultry woman's voice comes from directly behind him, making him jump a little. Everyone turns to a tall, curvaceous woman dressed in a golden corset covered by a red-tailed coat. Her long legs are covered by fishnet stockings and tall, shiny black boots. Raven hair is tied with golden silks in elaborate braids on her head.

"My name is Stella Starling, one of the owners of the Starling Quirk Circus," she says with a red-lipped smile. She's older than one might think at first, her beauty distracts from the lines on her face.

All Might stands beside Midoroyia, "The owner? What a nice surprise."

Stella Starling grins widely, "A little birdy told me that the infamous UA students would be joining us tonight. How _lovely_ it is to meet you all. Unfortunately, my dear brother is dealing with the side curtain things and cannot be out and about with me." Her dark eyes scan everyone. Her voice is still seductive and breathless. Everyone nods and chorus a hello in return. Midoriya narrows his eyes while he watches this woman, teeth bared down on her bottom lip as if to contain her own excitement.

"This path leads to the menagerie," she says while motioning with gloved hands, "It's wonderful, absolutely wonderful. And the big tent will have the best shows, of course. But there's a psychic down that way and a tent full of stories in a bottle down that direction." She spins around, arms wide, "The whole Circus is amazing, you can't possibly see it all in one night."

She's basically glowing. She puts an arm around Bakugou, "Ah sorry I know I'm being a bit...eccentric. Tonight's been going very well! Oh so very, very, well! Great business deals. Great guests of honor," she runs a finger down Bakugou's arm as she says this, "you pretty pups could be an attraction."

"Well, they're here for school." Mr. Aizawa says, "Thank you for your _warm_ welcome, but I want them to have enough time to make it through a decent portion -"

"Stella!" A voice calls, cutting Mr. Aizawa off. To the group's left, they see a small group of teenage girls on the carousel. They walked in the opposite direction, making their way across it to get to the other side. Stella's face immediately drops.

"Stella! You found us _boys_!" One of the girls said with a squeal. There are six of them; the one who lept off the carousel first has tightly curled blonde hair with pink tips, growing out instead of down. The other girls follow, stalking around the UA students like lionesses eyeing their prey.

Three of them are obviously triplets, all with cinnamon red hair and big, doe-like eyes. They each wear tight bodysuits of similar patterns and colors. One of the girls has dark skin and two puffy buns on her head. Her two-piece outfit is black and white striped with a bright red train on the back of her shorts, a tiny, bright red top hat, and red ballet shoes. The blonde wears a rainbow leotard and yellow pants with suspenders. There is another girl who hesitates, eyeing each other the students with narrowed eyes. She's dressed as a gypsy, her brown hair has golden clasps in it for decoration, but it hands low in waves down her back. She's clad in a bright blue that matches her eyes, trimmed with gold. She even wears shimmering golden gloves on each hand.

"Uh, hi," Kirishima says to the blonde who is circling him. "W-who are you guys?"

"They're nothing," Stella suddenly snaps, her excitement gone, "They should be getting ready for their next show!"

The gypsy girl finally steps forward, "C'mon Stel, don't be so bitter."

"We are the Circus' biggest stars," One of the triplets says with a flip of her red hair.

"You're all super cute," The blonde goes on, now putting an arm around Todoroki's waist. "What's your name?"

The gypsy yanks the blonde away, "Relax, Clio, let them breathe." She turns to Todoroki, "Sorry, she's boy crazed."

"Oh. It's alright."

"Mia!" The blonde, Clio, whines, "We're deprived of boys!"

"There are plenty of boys in the Circus," the gypsy retorts.

"They're like _brothers_! Not boyfriends!"

Mia rolls her eyes, "You won't get any sort of boyfriend if you act desperate!"

"Go get ready for your next shows!" Stella barks, but the girls ignore her completely.

"So, what do you guys do?" The girl with dark skin tilts her head.

Iida strikes a pose, his arms and stiff in right angles, "We are students of the prestigious school UA High! We are heroes in training!"

This made the blonde and the triplets light up, "Heroes!" They all shriek.

Midoriya sees something flash across the gypsy, Mia's, face. She stiffens again. Stella is suddenly behind her, grabs a lock of her hair, and yanks. Mia yelps in pain.

"When I say go," Stella growls. She no longer looks beautiful but like an evil witch from a movie, "You go."

The girls freeze. Mia puts a hand on the back of her head and glares down at the ground in front of her. The air grows tenser and tenser and the seconds tick by. But then the girl with dark skin, who had introduced herself to Iida as Coco, takes Mia by the arm.

"Whatever, Stella." She pulls Mia and the others follow.

Mia says over her shoulder, "Someone your age shouldn't glare so much. Your botox will start to seep out." The girls giggle and race off into the crowd. Leaving class 1-A with a fuming Stella Starling.

"Hellions," she hisses before taking a deep breath, "Sorry. They have terrible manners."

Mr. Aizawa narrowed his eyes, "No worries about them. Now, my students should start their assignment."

"Of course, of course," Stella nods, distant now. "I should... go talk to my brother anyhow... Have a great time, mes enfants!"

"Thank you!" They chorus, then begin to break into smaller groups.


	2. Chapter 2: The Fortune Teller

Bakugo stands with his hands pushed far into his pant pockets, looking down a path and watching the patrons shift. The sun has set, and even though the sky is still bright along the horizon, tiki torches have been lit inside the iron fence. Kirishima, Jiro, Ashido, Sero, Todoroki, Iida, and Uraraka are watching a man who claimed to have unpierceable skin. He lets people take turns trying to puncture him with needles and knives. Nothing draws blood. His classmates seem completely entranced by this place, but Bakugo doesn't get the hype. There isn't a single person in the whole circus who could kill a villain with their quirks, he is less than unimpressed.

Bakugo turns and spots the gypsy girl from earlier. She's grinning, arm-in-arm with some older men who are red-nosed with liquor. Her bright blue eyes rest on Bakugo, and her smile falters. For a moment she looks away, embarrassed, but then she apologizes to the men and tries to leave them. The men whine and complain, begging her not to go. Bakugo can't make out any of their conversation over the music and chatter around him. One of the men looks agitated now and lunges at her, but the girl twirls and steps away so effortlessly that he stumbles and falls flat on the pathway. Bakugo loses sight of the girl for a moment, and then there's a soft jingle behind him.

"Hi, again," she says with a curious smile, her hands clasped behind her back. Golden bells are tied to her ankles and the front of her shirt.

"I thought that old lady said you had a show to go to," Bakugo replied, wary of her gaze looking him up and down. She scoffs and waved that away with a gloved hand.

"Screw Stella. She just hates when the six of us try to make contact with others our own age."

"I saw her pull your hair. What was up with that?"

The girl blinks as if she didn't expect him to bring it up. She glances around warily, but as she opens her mouth to say something, Kirishima is beside them.

"Oh, it's you again!"

"Hi!" A more friendly, genuine smile graces the gypsy's lips. "You can call me Mia."

"I'm Ejiro Kirishima, and this is Katsuki Bakugo. We're from-"

"UA, yeah I know."

"So, what do you do in the Circus? You look like a belly dancer,"

Mia's smile widens, "I'm the fortune teller."

Kirishima gasps, "IS THAT HOW YOU KNEW WE WERE FROM UA?"

"You're such an idiot," Bakugo grumbles, "We said it earlier."

"Oh, yeah..."

Mia laughs. Her voice is high and clear and sweet like the ringing of her bells. "You want me to read your fortunes?"

Bakugo narrows his eyes at her, unsure. Kirishima, on the other hand, volunteers enthusiastically. Mia twirls and dances past the two of them, and puts a gloved hand out, "Follow me then."

"Come on, man!" Kirishima urges when Bakugo hesitates. The two walk on either side of Mia, passing food stands, clowns and carnies offering trinkets and balloons.

"How old are you, Mia?" Kirishima starts the small talk, "You don't look like you could be any older than us."

"My sixteenth birthday is next week, actually," she says. Bakugo notices a little sadness in her voice. "So, I'm probably not far off from you two."

"You don't go to school?"

"Nah, but everyone sort of helps tutor the younger ones. I can even speak English and Russian, too." She flips her hair proudly as she says this.

Finally, Bakugo is too curious to not ask, "How long have you been in the Circus?"

"Ten years as of my next birthday. I joined shortly after I turned six."

"Are your parents in the Circus, too?"

She shakes her head and holds a curtain open for a small tent that was made of deep purples and bright magentas, all trimmed with shimmering gold lace. "I was in an orphanage before I joined the Circus. Come, sit down."

The boys each take a seat in the two lavish cushioned chairs before a circle wooden table. There's no crystal ball, no tarot cards, only a golden chandelier hanging only inches above their heads. Mia walks to the other side and sits on a velvet stool. She props her elbows on the table and holds her chin.

"So?" She looks back and forth at the two of them, "Both of you put a hand on the table, palm up."

They oblige. She ungloves one hand runs a single finger lightly over their wrists. Her eyes flicked up as she touches Bakugo.

"You first," She says, smirking. Bakugo sneers.

"I don't even believe in any of this shit. Don't waste your time on me."

Mia just rolls her eyes and takes his hand in the hand that still wears a glove. At first, she hovers her bare hand over his, looking at him with a mischievous little smile. Then she grazes her fingers across his palm so lightly it tickles. Her eyes close and they wait. She keeps her eyes shut, and tilts her head to one side, twirling her fingers in figure eight on his hand. The grin fades and her eyebrows furrow. Bakugo and Kirishima look to one another, then back at her.

She lets out a little gasp, her eyes flicker open again. Her eyes are wide in alarm. "Y-You... shouldn't be here."

"What?"

"_Shit_," she flinches away from him, panic rising in her voice.

"W-What the hell did you see!?" Bakugo demands.

"I can't tell you!"

"It's _MY_ future!" He barks.

She rolls her eyes again, "I can't see the future! It's all part of the act! I see your _past_!"

"What was in Bakugo's past that's making you freak out like this?" Kirishima questions.

Mia looks at them with desperation in her face, "I... I can't tell you. But you two should go. You should all leave. Please-"

"And why the hell should we do anything you say?" A small explosion bursts in Bakugo's palm. A challenge.

**_BOOM!_**

The ground rumbles with the sound of a larger explosion somewhere within the gates of the Circus. Startled screams fill the air. Bakugo and Kirishima run out of Mia's tent and into the pathways. Black smoke rises on the other side of the Circus. People freeze and watch it rise into a dark cloud above them.

"H-Hey..." one of the carnies passing out balloon animals says, "Is that coming from the menagerie?"

Bakugo charges back into the tent. Mia is halfway under the table, throwing a backpack over her shoulder.

"What the hell did you do?" Bakugo growls.


	3. Chapter 3: The Mayhem

Time seems frozen while Mia and Bakugo stare into each other's eyes. The commotion from outside causes Mia's eyes to dart from Bakugo to the tent's opening, gripping the strap of the backpack tighter. Kirishima yells something from outside the tent, now taking Bakugo's focus off of Mia for a second. She takes the opportunity and dives under the side curtain. Bakugo grunts in anger and tries to grab ahold of her ankle before it disappears to the other side. She's swifter than he anticipated, and he misses. When he rips the curtain to the side Mia is nowhere to be found. A soft thundering sound reaches Bakugo's ears, and he holds his breath to listen. A zebra tacked in a white saddle and turquoise gems comes galloping through the narrow path between tents. Bakugo jolts backward to avoid getting trampled. The zebra makes a tight turn, falling in the dust of the wider, more crowded path ahead. Visitors shriek and back away from the panicked animal. Bakugo follows, looking to each side, trying to get a glance at Mia.

"Hey!" Someone is waving Kirishima down, "We need more help! It's the menagerie!"

Screams swell from beyond the larger tents. Bakugo remembers reading about the extensive collection of exotic and wild creatures this circus owned; jaguars, tigers, monkeys, and elephants.

_Now,_ Bakugo wonders to himself, _Are they all loose?_

"Attention!" Stella's voice rings through the circus on some sort of loudspeaker, "The menagerie animals have been released. Go inside the nearest tent for safety. I repeat, go inside the nearest tent for safety. The culprit is one of the circus' performers. She has set off explosives and stole money from the safe. If you see a young woman with brown hair and light blue eyes, most likely dressed in a gypsy costume, please contact authorities immediately!"

_She was right there!_ Bakugo feels the frustration singe his chest. He clenches his fists, _She was right there and she got away._

He scans the panicked paths and colorful tents for a moment. In all this mayhem, the culprit could have already slipped out of the gates undetected. Bakugo plants his feet and faces both palms down, then creates an explosion to propel himself through the air and to the top of one of the tents. It's not very sturdy. As Bakugo lands hard it sways back and forth and he nearly loses his balance.

"Dude!" Kirishima is waving him down from below, "What are you doing!?"

"Looking for the thief, dipshit!" Bakugo barks back, "Just keep helping with the animals and stay out of my way!"

The sun had set behind the towers of Tokyo City, but the sky was holding on to the last of the blue, dusk light. The tents cast long, thick shadows along the tracks. Up here, Bakugo can see the rest of his classmates in full Hero-mode; some trying to contain and calm the animals, while others help the guests evacuate. With all this motion it'll be hard to find Mia, who knows the tents and layout of the Circus. Bakugo uses his explosions to leap from tent top to tent top, scanning the paths and hoards of people trying to exit the gates. As he swings around the exposed spire of one large, striped tent, he hears it. On one side, a river of people all quickly walk in the direction of the gates. On the other side, he hears - ever so faintly- the jingling of bells.

* * *

Mia's heart pounds against her chest and throbs in her ears and fingertips. Freedom is just beyond the bars. Her backpack is stuffed with everything she's ever owned and its heavy and bulky. She reaches for the fence, this one section where the bars are bent slightly, wide enough for her to fit through.

_Freedom is just beyond the bars..._

Mia is wrenched backward and sent tumbling through the grass. The wind has been knocked out of her, and she struggles to take a breath. As she lifts her head, she sees the blond boy- Katsuki Bakugo- from before. A sick smirk pulls at his lips, and small flashes dance and pop in his palms and he comes toward her.

"Wait-" Mia says, hoping to reason with him, but he lunges at her. Being a small, swift target, Mia can dodge him by slipping the backpack off and rolling out of the way. She crouches for only a moment but leaps again to avoid footsteps coming from behind her. The red-haired boy is back and his arms look like they've hardened into rock.

"It was you, Mia?" His voice is disappointed, almost sad, but his eyes to not lack intensity.

"Just give me a chance to ex-" She shouts with a harsh, defiant glare. Bakugo interrupts her with a larger explosion.

"No need. I already understand. You set off explosions and put everyone in danger so you could steal some money and run off!"

"That's not it!"

"Spare me your shit!" He's after her once more. Mia leaves her belongings in the grass and tries to break for the maze of tents. A hand reaches out from a tent and palms her face. The force makes blood immediately start gushing from her nose. Then she falls to her knees and crumbles to the ground.

* * *

Bakugo and Kirishima watch as Mia falls to the ground, bloody and unconscious. A man in a suit steps out of the tent. He is tall and slim with black hair that has begun to gray. He's clean-cut with a sharp jawline and a smooth face. His suit is black and trimmed with black sequins.

"You must be the other Starling," Bakugo says to the man. The man smiles and gives a shallow bow.

"Steven Starling. And you two must be from UA High. My sister told me your class was here." He nods down to Mia, "And don't worry about her, my quirk is not harmful. This hand," he waves the one that he used to grab Mia's face, "puts you to sleep. And this one," he raises the other hand, "wakes you up."

"She was running away," Kirishima explains while Steven Starling takes two glittery gloves out of his pocket and slips them on.

"Yes, I figured. She's always been rebellious and ungrateful. My sister and I _adopted_ her, did you know that? And this is the thanks we get." He snaps his fingers, "Will you two boys help me bring her to my tent?"

Kirishima nods and obliges. Bakugo rolls his eyes and follows Kirishima, grumbling to himself in annoyance. They each loop one of Mia's arms around their neck and carry her, following Steven Starling to a golden octagon-shaped tent. Inside is gaudily decorated. An ornate Persian rug lays across the faux-floor. A plush, camelback velvet sofa is across from them. A mattress sits to the far right is topped with a multitude of purple pillows. There's belongings thrown all over, a silk robe draped over the couch's arm, pearls and diamond jewelry sit on the cushion, clothes litter the floor. Behind them is the only flap to enter and exit. Stella sits on the sofa and a younger woman with a shaved head lays with her head on Stella's lap.

"Ah, finally," Stella sighs. The woman sits up, looking at Bakugo and Kirishima with a wicked smile. Steven Starling takes Mia from them. Kirishima and Bakugo tense.

"S-shouldn't we tell everyone we got her? And that it's all ok?" Kirishima offers shakily.

"Mmm," Stella taps a red-tipped finger to her lips, "Not _quite_ yet. We aren't done playing."

The young, buzz-cut woman holds a palm out to them and suddenly a purple prism forms around them. Bakugo smirks.

"As if some cage will contain _me_," he puts his palm out this time, but no explosion follows. He looks at his hand in angry puzzlement.

"H-Hey, Bakugo, my quirk isn't working!" Kirishima is squeezing his hands, face wrought with focus.

"My little love's quirk doesn't just contain, it restricts all quirk usage for as long as you're in there!" Stella beams, biting her lip. Bakugo winds up and crashes his fist against the prism, but it doesn't crack or ripple. The shock shoots back into Bakugo's hand and snaps a knuckle. He lets the pain hiss out between clenched teeth.

Steven Starling drops Mia on the floor, then perches her limp body up so he can tie her hands to the ornate wooden table in front of Stella's couch. Mia sits, hunched over. Steven Starling takes one glove off, stands over Mia and slaps her hard enough to make both Kirishima and Bakugo flinch. Her nose has stopped dripping blood, but her lips and chin are stained with it. She groans in pain as she tries to open her eyes.

"Bakugo," Kirishima's voice is weak, "What... what did we do?"

* * *

Don't forget to review! :)


	4. Chapter 4: Her Own Hero

Bakugo glares down at his hands, shaking with effort to get his quirk to blast through the prism's power – but to no avail. He looks back and watches as Mia's head bobs as she shifts and stirs, waking slowly and grunting in pain. Steven Starling sits beside his sister.

Stella Starling is beautiful and deadly. Raven colored hair, thick and shiny, reaches her waist. She has big, doll-like eyes that are the same color as an overcast sky. Her skin is soft and pale, but if you look closely you can see the lines of age forming at her eyes and the corners of her mouth. She wears her golden corset under the black tailed coat. Her long legs are covered with fishnet stockings and tall, shiny black boots. A garter is holding an embellished dagger against her thigh. Stella smirks at Bakugo when his expression hardens.

"We returned the thief, now let us go." Bakugo demands. Stella's thin eyebrows dart upwards. She lounges back on her couch and sighs.

"Yes, I know, and I'm very grateful," she holds out a hand. The bald woman is there in a second with a glass of sherry. Stella chuckles, "You have no idea how much this little virgin is worth."

"Witch," Mia hisses groggily. Her insult just makes Stella's eyes twinkle while she takes a tiny sip from the glass. Her lipstick leaves red marks.

"You see, boys – Oh! Sorry, how rude of me. I didn't even ask your names."

"Yeah as if we'd tell you," Kirishima barks. Stella sighs again.

"Alright," she speaks slowly, as if they cannot understand her, "I'll show you how. My name is Stella Starling and I own this Circus, and all the people and what-have-yous and beasts within it."

She waits for them to reply, but they remain silent. Bakugo's eyes are harsh as he watches her. Her once gleaming expression fades to an intense stare, her eyes bearing into him.

"You two could be a pretty addition to our company," her eyes flicker to Kirishima as she says this.

"Just let them go, Stella!" Mia snaps at her, tugging against her binds, "You got me back so let them–"

Stella is up, eyes wide with terrifyingly intense rage. She splashes the sherry in her face and screams viciously, "SHUT YOUR _FUCKING_ MOUTH!"

Mia rub the alcohol from her eyes with her shoulder, blinking hard against the sting. Stella's eyes are on her, unblinking. Without breaking eye contact, she slowly sits back on the couch. Finally, her eyelids flutter and she seems to have snapped out of the rage, "You," she begins in a low voice, "have made a very big mess tonight."

"Think of what we've done for you," Steven growls, "We adopted you, fed you, clothed you, gave you a place to call home-"

"You USED me!" Mia's voice is thick with emotion. "This isn't a home! I'm not your _daughter_, I'm your prisoner! You took advantage of outcasts and orphans and made them your pawns to cover up all your dirty work!" She looks to Bakugo and Kirishima, "They've been helping the League of Villains!"

A pit formed in Bakugo's stomach. Kirishima let out a surprised gasp. _That's why she tried for force us out,_ Bakugo thinks, _She saw them in my past._

Stella and Steven Starling both just beam with wolfish grins. Mia continues.

"They've been smuggling black market items across the world for years. But now... they've been trafficking humans with certain quirks to the League of Villains for an army."

"An army?" Kirishima repeats in disbelief.

"Telling them this doesn't make a difference, Mia, baby," Stella laughs, "They'll be coming with us. They are from UA after all, I'm sure the League will be very pleased with us."

"No," Mia defies through grit teeth.

"No? Are you going to stop us? You going to play hero?" Steven says through chuckles. "Haven't we gotten that through you pretty little head, Mia? Girls don't get to be the heroes. You just sit there and look nice and leave the hard stuff to the big boys, hm?"

Stella stands up again, her gray eyes not leaving Mia's face. Her movements are unsettlingly slow as she saunters over and kneels in front of her. She puts a pale hand to her cheek, "Your only purpose is to make us money," she mutters, the strange sensuality still thick in her voice. She caresses Mia's cheek, then runs her sharp fingernails up and down her jawline. "Poor Mr. Shephard would have been so sad if you didn't come to American with us."

"I won't!" Mia cries. Stella smacks her upside the head and Mia leaves her head bowed.

"And what can you do to stop us?" Stella snarls. There's a pause.

"C'mon, Stel," Mia's voice has changed. It sounds casual, nonchalant. "You're the one who taught us all the magic tricks."

Mia grabs Stella with both hands and thrusts with all her might, rolling over and landing a heel in Stella's stomach as she hits the floor. Mia then lunges across the table for the bald woman who set the prism on Bakugo and Kirishima, but Steven Starling unsheathes a small dagger and stabs it right through Mia's hand and into the table. Mia howls and screams in pain.

"You little bitch," Stella gasps, trying to catch her breath. "How did you get free?"

Mia takes deep, jagged breaths, watching the blood pool around her hand. She whimpers as she takes the dagger handle with her free hand and yanks it up. Blood pours out onto her lap. She looks at Stella, "Circus trick 101. Everyone here can do escape acts. It's as easy as card tricks."

Bakugo's fists are shaking. As an aspiring hero to sit there and watch is infuriating. He has never felt this way. Quirkless... Helpless... And none of this would have happened if he had just let her go. A commotion snaps his attention to those in front of him. Mia has the dagger now, and with the blunt handle, she twists herself around and lands it on Steven Starling's temple. The shock makes his body tremble and go rigid before going limp on the couch. Stella and the bald woman jolt into action. Mia pushes herself off the table and does an arial right over Stella's head. She grabs a fistful of her black hair and yanks her to the ground again.

"Damn," Kirishima mutters, "This girl can fight..."

The bald woman is on her, but Mia drops and rolls out of the way. She twirls, handspringing and flipping to avoid any punches the woman throws. The flashy display of movements makes it hard to keep track of what she uses in offense. As she lands in a handstand, she twists and kicks the woman in the head. The prism flickers and vanishes. Bakugo and Kirishima take a stance beside Mia, ready to fight.

"M-my quirk still isn't working," Kirishima says, flexing his hands.

"Neither is mine,"

"Your quirk won't come back for the amount of time you were in the prism for," Mia explains quickly, eyeing Stella staggering to her feet. "They should come back in a few minutes."

"Alright, I guess we're doing this old school." Kirishima puts up both fists. There's a flash of white light at the very top, center point of the tent. The spot turns a grayish-white. As if the tent had become stone. The gray spreads outward, covering the entire top of the tent. Bakugo notices that as it spreads, the ripples in the tent freeze.

"Oh FUCK, " Mia shouts, "We have to get out of here!" She turns and makes a break for the side of the tent, grabbing Bakugo's arm with her bloodied hand.

"What the hell do you mean? We gotta blast this lady to hell!"

"They're teleporting!" Mia points to the consuming grayness, "Anything it touches goes with it. If you want to be sent to the other side of the world, in the middle of fucking nowhere with these people, then be my FUCKING guest!"

Bakugo hesitates. Stella stumbles to the edge, places a finger on the graying tent, and she freezes and seems to turn to stone. It's only then that he races under the tent flap and follows Mia and Kirishima. They weave through the paths of tents, watching as the carnies brace themselves and wait for the gray. Some of them call out to Mia, but she ignores them and races past. They get to the clearing where her backpack still lies in the grass. She scoops it up and onto her shoulder as she passes. Bakugo finally feels a tingling, almost stinging sensation in his hands. He reaches forward and lets out all the pent up frustration and anger from being helpless into one massive explosion against the fence. It's so intense the shockwave nearly knocks Mia over.

"HEY!" A Circus worker charges forward, "What are you doing with Mia?"

The gray is closing in faster than before. Mia sprints through the opening Bakugo made and stops on the other side. Bakugo and Kirishima follow, but remain tense. The man stops inside the fence.

"Mia, what are you doing? Come on!" He holds out a hand.

Mia shakes her head, "I'm sorry."

"You can't just _leave_ us!" He protests, "We're all in it together, remember?"

She closes her eyes and looks away. He shouts her name one more time. But the iron fence before him is gray and he reaches out and touches it. Bakugo then notices the clouds above them. They are swirled and have a small opening in the center, like an eye of a storm. Mia still doesn't turn to watch as the Starling Quirk Circus turns to dust and floats up and into the sky and vanish. The hole closes. Thunder rumbles and the clouds release rain hard and fast.

Kirishima nods to their right, "Looks like everyone is over there."

Their classmates rush inside the bus to avoid the rain, but Mr. Aizawa and All Might remain outside. Bakugo tugs at Mia's backpack.

"Come on," he says and begins walking towards his teachers. As they approach, he can already feel the anger-aura Mr. Aizawa is giving off, but when they draw nearer and they see the shape Mia is in, he pauses.

"What on Earth happened?" He demands, looking back and forth at the unscathed students and the bruised, bleeding gypsy.

"We can explain everything," Kirishima says, "But we need to contact the police... and get her to a hospital."

Mr. Aizawa nods, "Alright. Get on the bus, and out of the rain."

The boys walk up the stairs and down the aisle of the bus. Kirishima has to beckon Mia to follow. They are immediately bombarded with questions from their curious classmates, but they all fall silent once Mia stands before them. They stare at her sherry soaked hair and the bruise forming under one eye. They stare at her sleeve soaked through with blood and how it drips off her fingers and onto the floor.

"You saved someone?" Kaminari wondered aloud.

Bakugo scoffed and sits, shaking the rain from his hair, "Not at all."

"Well... what happened then?"

Kirishima looks back at Mia, who shifts uncomfortably. He turns back to Kaminari and says, "She saved us."


	5. Chapter 5: Aftermath

Woohoo two chapters in one day! i hope you all are staying safe and productive in these crazy times. much love 3

* * *

Aizawa and All Might sit quietly at the large, wooden table. They have just explained the series of events that happened only hours ago at the field trip to the Teacher's Pro Hero Board at UA. Their response, so far, has been silence.

"Where is the girl now?" Principal Nezu asks after a long moment's pause.

"At the hospital," replies All Might, "Recovery Girl went over there to tend to her as well."

He nods thoughtfully, "Were any of the other students injured?"

"No. The two who were involved with this incident barely had a scratch on them. The other students were working to get the animals contained and the people evacuated. None of them were injured, either."

"Hmm."

Silence, again.

"You understand," Nezu begins finally, "how reckless this was, don't you? How _poorly_ it could have gone and the _danger_ your students were in. Yes?"

"Yes," All Might and Aizawa say together, both bowing their heads.

Nezu sighs, "And you understand that there is a possibility that they are _still_ in danger due to these actions; say, if someone were to come back for the girl."

"Yes," they say together again, their heads bowing lower.

"If I may," Present Mic says, and continues after a nod of approval from Principal Nezu, "There was no reason for us to assume that the Quirk Circus was intertwined with anything villainous. If these students did not get involved, then they could have continued to do wretched things without suspicion."

"But bringing these students to a public place without the right amount of protection or supervision is the issue," Vlad King retorts, "Especially with all the incidents class 1-A seems to get involved in."

"So should we be teaching them to live in fear?" Midnight challenges, "They are aspiring heroes, after all. As Eraser Head has said, his class has dealt with villains before. On many occasions, now. They acted without hesitation-"

"And put a girl in the hospital!" Vlad King sneers.

"That was not due to them," Aizawa defends, angry now. "Bakugo and Kirishima made a mistake. The circumstances were not what they seemed in the moment and there was no way for them to know until it was too late. And that is something that will hang over them for a while. The two of them have their provisional licenses and therefore, technically, did nothing wrong... Although... they will probably disagree if we say that to them. Again, they are aspiring heroes and they had to sit and watch a girl get beaten in front of them."

The teachers fall silent.

"The girl did her best to explain to us everyone's quirks; the prism my students were in could have been held for hours. I have faith in my students, and especially these two who are strong and tenacious; I'd like the think that they would have managed to free themselves... but there's no way for us to know for sure how things could have turned out differently, and frankly I don't like dwelling on "what could have been". The saving grace here is that the girl decided to fight back. We have to look at the facts we have in front of us and deal with them logically."

Nezu continues, bringing all eyes on him, "If the media got wind of this, I should suspend the two of you and those students. After all that has happened, we are focusing on keeping students _safe_. This was _not_ the time and place for students to get involved with the League again. Especially Katsuki Bakugo, with a provisional license or not. We have parents and nation-wide organizations breathing down our necks here," He sighed again, heavier this time, "But I also understand they are following their duties as heroes. Any of us would have done the same thing. I also think that it was a very interesting experience for those in your class… Obviously, as a Board we need to find ways to keep our students safe while they work hard to achieve their dreams. We owe them that. If we get shut down because of reckless behavior, that certainly is not fair to the other classes."

"No... it's not," Aizawa agrees in a mutter.

"And another matter; What do we do about the girl?"

* * *

_Meanwhile…_

Recovery Girl enters the pale hospital room. It's chilly and sterile inside, everything either white or pale green. The brown-haired girl is sitting at the foot of the thin hospital bed, watching the small mounted TV while her bandaged hand soaks in a small bowl of water. She lifts blue eyes to meet Recovery Girl's gaze and straightens a little.

"Hello," she says politely. Recovery Girl smiles back.

"Hello, dear. I am Recovery Girl, the nurse from UA High. Let's have a look at you…" she trails off as she looks at the girl's chart sitting on the counter. _Name: Mia, Age: 15, Height: 156 cm, Weight: 50 kg. Bruising on left cheek, left under eye, both upper arms and wrists. Laceration on right hand. _

"The doctors gave me some medicated water," Mia takes her hand out of the green, steamy water for a moment, "to soak my hand. A girl bandaged it for me while we waited for the medics and it stuck to the dry blood."

Recovery Girl nods, "Yes, yes. I'm sure the bandages are ready to slip right off. I'll have a look at that and see if my Quirk can mend it or if you'll need a skin graph. Other than that, though, no broken bones, no concussion, no other serious injuries. Good."

"Why did you come here?"

Recovery Girl looks up from the chart, "To see if I could help at all, dear."

Mia shook her head, "I mean why would the nurse from UA be sent when I'm already at a hospital."

"Because I can heal you a lot faster than they can. And it was UA teachers who dropped you off here. So, UA is now somewhat responsible for what happens to you."

Mia looks down at her lap, frowning. "Yeah… I'm sorry about that," she says.

Recovery Girl's heart sinks a little, "Sweetheart there's nothing to apologize for."

She sits on a stool and wheels it over to Mia's side. Mia offers her wounded hand, palm up. Recovery Girl looks at the exposed flesh and slips white gloves on. Mia wonders how many people she's healed in her lifetime, and suddenly feels the urge to reach out with her other hand and use her quirk. As Recovery Girl inspects the gash, she asks, "Where did you live before you joined the Quirk Circus?"

"America," Mia replies, "I lived in an orphanage in a small town down south. I kinda forget where. I thought Georgia... but others said Alabama and some said Tennessee. I joined the Circus when I was six."

"Do you remember America?"

Mia tilts her head back in thought, "A little. It was an old church by a river. It was falling apart. There was always dust and leaky windows. There were tons of rooms but we all slept in one big empty room in the basement. My trunk of stuff was covered in stickers. I remember that."

Recovery Girl smiles, "How sweet. Well, I don't think you will need a skin graph. I'm confident my Quirk will heal you." And with that she leans forward, planting a firm smooch on Mia's forehead.

She cringes at first, but her body surged, and the stinging on her hand subsided. She makes a fist and doesn't feel pain, but a 2-inch white scar remains on the back of her hand. She opens her fingers and finds the same white mark on her palm.

"Wow," she says brightly, wiggling her fingers.

Recovery Girl smiles, "Well, I'm done here. Sorry I can't get rid of those scars for you, my quirk can only speed up your own healing process and sometimes the injuries are too severe to completely heal." She stands up and makes her way to the door, "Take it easy for a while, especially after performing and fighting... it's been a long night for you."

Mia's face flashes to panic, "Wait! What's going to happen now?"

"Other officials from UA and detectives will be coming to speak with you tomorrow," Recovery Girl explains gently, "But it's already so late and you gave your initial statement. You'll spend the night here at the hospital and be seen in the morning."

"Alright…" Her face is still twisted with anxiety, but Recovery Girl can see the sleepiness creeping into her eyes.

"Nice to meet you, Mia." Recovery Girl says, but then stops, "I don't think your last name was written on your chart. What is it?"

Mia shrugs, and nestles herself back into the pillows, "I don't know. When the Starlings adopt an orphan, they don't let them take their last name. They also... destroy all records of us. Birth certificates, paperwork from the orphanage... all that stuff."

"Why would they do that?"

"So we don't exist outside of the Circus."

* * *

Don't worry, we will see Mia use her quirk a lot more in the upcoming chapters! Lot's to find out about her and the inner feelings of our favorite heroes in training!


	6. Chapter 6: Mia: Origin (part 1)

Saturday Morning: 8am (9 hours after the Quirk Circus Events)

When Aizawa, Principal Nezu, All Might, and Detective Tsukauchi entered the hospital room, Mia was stretched into a split on the floor, leaning so far forward that her chest and chin touched the tile. Her eyes widened slightly as they walked in, and her unease became obvious. She perched herself at the foot of her hospital cot and the teachers stood before her.

"I know you've already given your statements to the other police officers," Detective Tsukauchi says, dragging a chair to be directly across from her, "But could you go over it again?"

Mia makes an exasperated face, "Can't you just make a copy?"

"It won't just be for the police force," Principal Nezu explains, pulling himself up onto a chair, "I'm Nezu, the Principal of UA. Your statement will be used for our school and the Pro Heroes as well, so we need as much detail as you can remember."

"We've dealt with the League of Villains before. We've been in their pursuit for months now," adds Aizawa.

Mia considers this for moment, "And if you catch them, the rest of the Circus will be pardoned and free?"

"That's saying that they did not commit any crimes." Aizawa responds.

She stares into Aizawa's eyes defiantly, "Well, then technically speaking, I'm not innocent either. We've all been aware of their criminal acts... But you have to understand… we tried stopping them. We tried standing up and fighting back… but…"

Sadness overcomes her face and she looks down to her lap, "When you disobey or get in trouble or anything, it's not you they punish. They take it out on those you're close to. So, if standing up means someone you love gets tortured in front of you, after a few times you'd rather just suffer yourself." She squeezes her eyes shut, "I really don't want to think about what they'd do to my sisters if they find me again."

"Sisters? I didn't know you had siblings," Detective Tsukauchi says, writing something down into a notepad. Mia quickly shakes her head.

"Oh! No, no! They're just the other orphan girls that the Starlings adopted. We just call everyone brother, sister, uncle, you know… The Circus is all we have… so…"

"Oh," he scribbles it out. "Alright, so let's begin."

"Where do you want me to start?"

"The beginning is always a good place,"

Mia glances up at the clock, then sits cross-legged on the cot, takes a deep breath, and starts.

She tells them about the orphanage in a church in America, and how the girls there were basically nuns in training. That's where she began to rebel; sneaking away and playing by the river, pulling pranks on the pastors and nuns, scaring away any potential adoptive parents. Just after her sixth birthday, the Circus mysteriously showed up in the small southern town. The orphans were allowed to go in the early evening. All it took was a few minutes after walking through the gate that Mia decided she was never going back to the orphanage. She didn't want a life of psalms and quiet prayers; she wanted to travel the world, become a famous acrobat and live as she pleased. When the girls got back to the orphanage, Mia stuffed a small backpack with all she could. Once the lights were out she snuck through a window and raced through the dark. At first, she said the carnies and performers tried to shoo her away and even offered to walk her home, but she pleaded and kicked and cried until the Starlings agreed to see her. She sang them a sweet little tune, and they agreed to let her stay. This, she says, is where they got the idea of adopting orphans and finding those with particular quirks and talents to build the Quirk Circus.

The next morning, Stella took Mia to the orphanage to officially adopt her. Along the way she filled Mia's head with promises of a wonderful, flashy life style. 'You'll be trained to be a dancer, an acrobat! You'll become world-wide famous by the time you're ten! You'll be invited to dance for the Queen of England! You'll be in magazines! Everyone will know your name!'

Mia then saw Stella's quirk in action. She calls it 'Persuasion', when she activates her quirk and asks a question, the people around her automatically agree with whatever she says.

"They fall into a sort of trance," She explains to the heroes, "Like their eyes go blank and they just say 'yes, of course' to everything. However, she can't make anyone DO anything. For example, if she says 'can you go get me those papers' they'll say 'yes, of course' but their bodies will not move. So, she has to word her questions carefully, because it is easy for people to break out of the trance. They remain groggy for a few minutes and their memory of those questions feels like a dream. As if they can't really be sure it really happened. That's how she's able to take all records of the orphans. She takes all paperwork from the orphanages, or gets on the computer, and destroys all the files."

"Tampering with official paperwork alone is illegal," Detective Tsukauchi mutters, furiously scribbling in his notepad as Mia talks, "So, when did their involvement with the black market begin?"

"Probably before I joined, but I was sheltered from it for a while. I was just a kid, so the Starlings and the members always tried to make sure that I didn't see what was going on. And the Starlings treated me really well those first few years. I was worked like a dog when it came to training, they wanted me to be able to perform almost immediately, but after I'd be spoiled with feasts and treats and new clothes. They wanted me on their side. But even as a kid, you can pick up on the way people feel towards others. They looked at the carnies with disgust, and the Circus members looked back with distain. It was confusing, at first, but as I got older I started asking too many questions, and they stopped inviting me to their tent. That's when I started seeing men in suits going in and out of their tents. We'd start bringing cargo on our train…" she pauses and thinks, "…yeah?… Yeah, Dimitrios didn't join until I was eight or nine I think."

"Dimitrios?" Aizawa's questioning tone asks for details.

"He's the one with the teleportation quirk."

"Tell us more about that," Aizawa finds a chair, "That is quite an impressive quirk."

Mia nods, "He's the Starling's right hand man, same as Aerona, the woman who can cast the quirk-cancelling prisms. As long as Dimitrios has the exact longitude and latitude and a complete area circumference, he can teleport anything within the area to wherever he is. It takes a while, but when it comes to traveling abroad it's much faster and more cost efficient than boats and trains."

"So, using his quirk, they can teleport back here within a day or so?" All Might wonders aloud.

"Not really. He'd have to travel here by himself first."

"He could have hopped on the next available flight back here. That is, if they're that determined to take you back."

Mia is quiet for a moment, "I don't really know. The Starlings are obsessed with the Circus' image. They've never cancelled a show in my ten years of working for them. But, I don't know if they'd send Dimitrios alone or with a few others… I…" she swallows hard, "I was sold to a business man in Las Vegas. The transaction was going to be completed next week, on my sixteenth birthday."

The men share a sinking feeling in their stomachs.

"Sold?" All Might repeats, although he knows he truly doesn't want to hear the details of it, but they must know…

"Ever heard of quirk fetishes?" Mia doesn't look up from her hands.

"But you're a kid!" All Might shakes his head, unable to accept that this sort of thing happens in the shadows of the black market.

Mia lets out a single, humorless laugh, "Come on… you're not that naive," she finally looks up, her expression is cold. The icy tone in her voice is made clear, "That's exactly why he wanted me. He paid top dollar to take me before I turn eighteen."

The air is heavy. Nobody says or does anything for a few moments. Principal Nezu hops off of his chair, reaches out and takes Mia's scarred hand and encloses it in both of his paws. As her fingertips touch his fur, her face loses the stony expression and is replaced with one that is slightly surprised. Her lips part slightly and her eyes widen, the crease in her forehead fades as her eyebrows slowly go up.

A wave of emotions and snapshots flow through her mind in an instant. _A laboratory; fear. The view of men in lab coats from behind bars; hatred. Meeting All Might for the first time. Becoming the principal of UA. Pride, joy. A mob of reporters; frustration and anger, and deep worry for his students. A bloody, scrawny All Might standing among wreckage; heavy-heartedness, dread. _

"Mia," he says. She looks at him, snapped away from his memories, "I'm so sorry this is the life you've led so far. None of this is your fault, and we will do everything in our power to stop them. I promise you that." _Honesty. Determination. _

Mia wrenches her hand away from him. She bites her lip, but cannot stop the tears from pooling and streaming down her cheeks. "I'm sorry," she croaks. She hugs her knees to her chest and buries her face in her elbows, unable to control the sobs.

"There's nothing to apologize for," Aizawa assures.

Mia continues to cry, rubbing her eyes into her elbows to wipe the tears, "It's just… when my fingers touch someone I can feel how they feel… and when you said that… I knew you…" she hiccups and tries to stile another sob, "I could feel that you meant it."

"Of course I meant it," Principal Nezu mumbles with a kind smile.

"Not a lot of people mean what they say," Mia says between sniffles.

Detective Tsukauchi stands and stretches, "Why don't we take a little break, hm? We can all have a snack and some water, and talk about last night in a little while."


End file.
